Ford Mustang goes where no car has gone before

Plastic replica gets sent on an epic space odyssey to mark 50th anniversary

The Ford Mustang (ok, a plastic replica) took to space attached to a helium balloon, making it the first car (we think) to ever leave Earth's atmosphere.

Handout, Ford

The model Mustang was mounted to a custom-made rig attached to a helium weather balloon.

Handout, Ford

The Ford Mustang gets ready to take a journey to space.

Handout, Ford

Can horses fly in outer space? Well, yes, if this latest publicity stunt for the Ford Mustang’s 50th anniversary is to be believed.

Just a few weeks after Ford assembled its new 2015 Ford Mustang Convertible atop the Empire State Building, San Francisco’s Big Valley Ford dealership launched a Mustang into orbit over Stockton, Calif.

Well, actually, it was just a replica (launching the actual car would take slightly more power, like, say, a rocket), but it was impressive nonetheless.

Using a helium-filled weather balloon, the plastic Mustang model was sent soaring 33.5 km above the Earth before crashing back down. Its ascent and descent were caught by cameras mounted on the custom-made rig.

A GPS transmitter enabled the team to track the Mustang down in a field about six hours after launch.

San Francisco-area Ford zone sales manager Michael Sego, who helped set up the Mustang’s space odyssey, said they wanted to do “something really special” for the Mustang’s 50th birthday.

“Mustang has always been about getting behind the wheel and hitting the open road, but we decided to take to the open sky,” Sego said.